Maternal deaths drop — except for Black women
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The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups.
By the numbers: The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women rose from 49.5 to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to 2023 data from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, the most recent available.
The fine print: The rate for Black women dying from pregnancy-related causes from 2022 to 2023 did not increase a statistically significant amount, the CDC says, but it's the only rate for a race or ethnic group tracked in the report that didn't appear to decline.
Situational awareness: The CDC report comes after President Trump ordered a temporary pause in external federal health agency communication.
What they're saying: "There's implicit bias" when you're a Black patient and you have a non-Black provider, says LaTasha Seliby Perkins, an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
- Perkins, who is African American, says she experienced it during a previous pregnancy, when a doctor overlooked the fact that she was of advanced maternal age, because she didn't appear to be over 35.
- A family physician herself, Perkins worries about her medical care: She's currently pregnant.
Context: The medical system has a racist history, and a 2023 study in The Lancet found that even Black women in areas with more access to maternal health care are at a "disproportionately" higher risk of dying during or after childbirth than white women who live in underserved areas.
Zoom out: Studies show that having more Black physicians leads to better health outcomes for Black patients (and all patients), but the rates of Black students attending med school have dropped sharply.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with quotes from LaTasha Seliby Perkins.
